The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1887-02-26
pETARoNlNo THE RAzoRs.
How Boards Were Made Popular by ths
Pacific Coast Pfoneers.

Pacific Coast Pioneers.
"The early gold seekers in Californis
conferred n benefit upon the country
unconsciously, lis true-which have
never seen mentioned, but for which the
younger generation can hardly be
grateful enough"
The speaker was one Of the old Forty
miners; he was speaking Of the annual
dinner of the Associated Pioneers Of
California, which he had attended.
"When was o young man he con-
tinued, emo one in any part of the
United States with which 1 was ac-
quainted was permitted to wear a
beard. There was an unwritten law
against 1t. which was more strictly
obeyed than the statutes against
murder and robbery. A man with a
full, flowing beard such as may be seen
any where in walk of five minutes,
would have been followed and hooted
at by crowd of boys in any New En-
gland town; while mustache was an
open confession that the wearer was a
rowdy and a social outlaw. The wearer
would not have been admitted to men,
bership in any church, nor--unless he
was a military oflicer-received into
any respectable circle. Side whiskers
could be worn, or chin whiskers; but
the lines were drawn against the COM
plete thing, or the shaded upper lip, by
public opinion so strong that it
seemed immutable.
"The gold excitement broke out, and
in almost every town and village there
were some who caught the fever and
started for the land of promise. We
had hard time of it; the fortunate fell
lows just rs hard q time as the unfortu-
nate, except for the courage that suc-
cess brings. There was no leisure, and
little inducement for self adornment in
the absence of women. We got careless
about observing the rules of our old
civilized life, and one of the first evil
dences of this was that one after another
we stopped shaving. 1t took too much
time, and our razors got dull, OF our
bits of looking-glass lost or broken; and
soon every mining camp on the coast
was filled with full bearded men.
early in the 'fifties, the men who
had left wives and children or sweet
hearts at home, and who had raked to-
gether few thousand dollars, began
to return; some to bring their families
back and others to pay off the mort
cages on their farms and remain. We
had been free from the trammels of the
old civilization long enough to be indif-
ferent to some of its arbitrary rules; and
then we were conceited enough to think
that our adventures had given us the
right to be recognized as heroes, and
didn't mind wearing sort of distin-
gushing badge. So large number of
us returned to our old homes with much
the same appearance that we had in the
mines.
"We were decidedly picturesque
lot, 1 suppose, and wherever we went
were Immediately recognized as re-
turned gold-diggers, and received the
respect among our old neighbors that
our supposititious wealth-alas! only
supposititious in many cases-com-
manded. In no very long time there
were few towns in which there were
not several returned Californians; and,
as the novelty of full boards began to |
wear off, the real improvement which
boards made in some men was seen.
Huge jawed, long-lipped men came
back absolutely handsome. Then the
doctors entered the tield-young men
with weak lungs and bronchial troubles
seemed to be cured. At first the cli-
mate of California and the exposure of
camp life obtained the credit; but after
a winter at home it was believed that
the protection given by the beard
should share the credit; and soon many
OF the physicians, especially in New
England, advised their patients to cease
shaving. The innovation now made its
way rapidly. by the advice of the doc
tor was as satisfactory an answer to
all comments as it is in the same part
of the country when one is caught tax
ing his 'bitters' before dinner.
"1t was some years, however, before
the prejudice of generations became so
weakened that preachers could wear
boards without severe comment on the
part of some members of their congre-
cations, if not secession from their folds
to those of shaven shepherds. It's q
that the late Professor Stowe
adopted q shrewd device to rid himself
Of the hated razor He was delivering
an address, so the story goes, on slavery, I
and as he became impassioned with the
subject he exclaimed: 1T must and will
be wiped out; the day of freedom for
all men in our land is coming, and razor
shall not touch my face until it dawns.'
He was probably one of the first Con-
ministers to wear hair on
his lip.
"When it became allowable for any
who chose to wear a full beard entire
followed easily enough,
and men began to trim their boards to
suit themselves, until before long they
could wear mustaches alone without
causing remark. We old Forty-niners
created this revolution-we who camo
home; and in the advantages to health,
10 say nothing of the improvement of
the moral tone of community which is
caused by the overthrow of every sense
ess superstition, think that in this we
lid more good than did the gold wo
brought home. IN. y Tribune.